Tactitians Inc
by BlackCavern
Summary: After surviving the wrath of Nergal Mark catches up with his fellow tactitians


**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem**

* * *

Mark the tactician tossed his heavy traveling cloak onto a table and plopped down on his favorite arm chair. He heaved a sigh of relief, he had successfully survived the wrath of Nergal and still managed to execute a mysterious disappearance with all fingers and toes intact.

Now that he was back in the comfort of his own library he could get his company back into order. Picking up his dusty cloak he shook it out, a thick book with a decorated leather cover fell onto the floor with a thud. Picking it up and dusting off the beaded cover Mark hastily opened up to the bookmarked page. Unlike the other pages of the five pound book which were covered in notes and a spells this paticular page had a tracing of a hand. Mark laid his hand over the tracing, the page glowed in response. Mark sat back down and waited for his responder to pick up.

* * *

River, tactitian of the Renais Liberation Army was perched atop a boulder watching the antics of Garcia and Dozla as they meddled with a Fire tome. It was a rather successful form of amusement to watch two axe weilders try to make sense of a spell book. Suddenly the leather book on his lap started glowing in swift intervals.

"Alright, alright. I'm answering." River grumbled as he flipped open the book. He placed his hand over the hand tracing and an image of Mark appeared. "Hey there Mark, I see you've made it back intact." River greeted.

"Yup, Nergal was a pain in the rear but with some strategical positioning, experience handling, and nifty supports, everything came out alright. So, how are things on your end?" Mark asked grinning broadly.

"Meh...alright I suppose. If you ignore the fact that the princess of Renais and Frelia claim to be kind people and yet are cutting down soldiers left and right, the fact that there are emotionally deficient people in my army, and a certain annoying and egotistic princess, it's all peachy." River complained gruffly.

"Don't you think you're being a tad harsh? Renais nobles are raised to believe in the righteousness of their own intentions." Mark reminded.

"Yes and they need a lesson in the fact that nothing is black and white. By the way, listen to this Mark." River tilted the book so that Dozla's attempts at reciting a spell could be heard. "Amazing isn't it? I suppose I should admire his enthusiasm but believe it or not, this is the middle of a battle." An arrow came streaking within inches of River's face and a swordsman and a fighter started a duel a few feet away, River payed little attention to these distractions.

"Oh I believe, in fact it seems pretty common these days for people to just chat and eat snacks smack in the middle of a battlefield." Mark sipped a cup of tea, "So have you lost anyone so far?"

"Nah, there's been a few close calls and I had to use _that _a few times but nothing too bad, hold on a second Mark." River cupped his hands around his mouth, "Ewan, stick by Amelia! Hey Franz, switch to your lance, there'll be myrmidons coming soon. Okay, you were saying Mark?" River asked.

"Nothing, by the way. Has anyone been raising an eyebrow at the fact that you're just sitting around in the middle of crossfire and nothing hits you, or that you haven't gotten an axe stuck in your forehead yet?" Mark questioned tentatively.

"Nope, not a chance. It's strange but no one really finds it that weird and-" River jumped at the sound of a footstep and quickly shut his book. "Greetings River, I trust you are well?" Silver Knight Seth rode over to River, his armor had a few new scratches and his iron lance was beaten and looked about to break at any second. "Yes, I'm fine. For a moment I thought you were L'arachel." River sighed with relief.

"Perhaps you should leave the battlefield, we need our tactitian after all." Seth advised.

"I need to be here to see what's going on, don't worry Seth. Go back to the convoy and get a steel lance."

"Of course, by your leave."

River reopened his book once the paladin was out of sight, "Sorry about that Mark. By the way, what kind of support would knock a selfish, loud, and completely oblivious noblewoman down a few notches?"

Mark thought for a moment, pink hair and a shrill voice started dominating his mind. Shaking his head he replied, "Well I suppose someone with a harsher personality, y'know, someone who won't bow to her whims just because of her rank."

"I see...Ephraim? No...Rennac maybe...nah I need a focused rouge to open doors." A certain Frelian sniper popped into his mind, River smiled slyly, "Yeah, I've got the perfect support." He was about to say something else when a pegasus slammed into the ground next to him. River jumped to his feet, "Gah! Vannessa! That's the third time! You had a thirty percent chance to get hit and you still died! Grr...fine, look Mark I've got to reset, see you in a bit." River canceled the communication spell and whipped thorugh the book until he came to _that _page.

* * *

Mark laughed to himself, he was more then certain now that his irritable yet trusty fellow tacition had taken Magvel by storm. He'll make time to speak some more after River finishes the battle.

Casting a new communication spell he waited for a response.

* * *

Gustava, head of strategy for the continent of Jugdral was sound asleep in her tent when the soft vibrating glows of her tactical book woke her up. From where she was lying she flipped open the book and placed her hand on the tracing.

"Mark? That you?" she asked sleepily.

"Yep, did I wake you up? Sorry but I need an update."

"Everything's fine, just fine. I'm still trying to wear out the habit of stockpiling weapons. These forge things are really nice you know? Really helps cut down on conservation." Gustava sat up and picked up the book.

"Yeah, you should see River over in Magvel. I bet he hasn't used a single silver weapon yet, I'd bet he hasn't even used that short spear that gargoyle thing dropped."

"Right, the hard part is this whole relationship system. This person has to like this person and get this many love points to make this person. Is it that bad to just accept the replacements?" she asked wearily.

"Well that's up to you and if push comes to shove you just have to restart, anyway sorry to disturb you. Give a call to River would you?" Mark asked before breaking the communication spell.

"Sure." Gustava yawned and connected a new spell.

* * *

Mark poured himself another cup of tea, things seemed to be going rather well in Magvel and Jugdral but he was a bit worried about Archanea. After Malledus was incapacitated and Jeigan was put in his place, Mark had no one to contact, and as everyone knows, a loyal knight cannot join the tacitian company.

The next update he need is from Tellius, it really was a shame that Soren was...unsuitable for the tactitian company. He was quite the strategist too but Mark had deemed him a bit too loyal to Tellius' local hero. But he had someone else on his side, someone as dependable as he was expensive. However with the various spare gems, funding from the powerful, gold filled chests, the money the monsters in Valni was carrying for some reason, the payments caused Mark no worry.

But unfortunately his accomplice was not a tactitian and therefore could not obtain a tactitian's book. But luckily Mark had managed to get his hands on one of the communication stones used by dragons.

"Volke? You hear me?"

"Yes."

"So how's the army doing?"

"Fine."

"Anything suspicious?"

"Nothing at all."

"Anyone suspecting?"

"No."

"Right, thanks Volke."

"2,000."

"You'll get it later."

Mark cut off the stone's power, conversations with Volke always ended up with gold but if it'll help tie up ends, it was worth it. It took quite a while to convince Volke that just because he would fork over the gold later didn't mean that he was skipping out on payment. He'll have to get him to spy on the Dawn Patrol as well.

But for now Mark was content just to keep in touch with his fellow tactitians, relax in his library, and study up on new strategies. Because in about fifteen years Elibe-time, he's friends Eliwood and Hector will be old and he'll have to assist their children. He closed his tactitian's book.

Hopefully they won't question why he didn't age as they did.


End file.
